How did ASU quarterback Jaden Rashada play in debut vs. Southern Utah?
Jaden Rashada put himself in a pretty exclusive club when he took his first snap from center Leif Fautanu Thursday night in Arizona State's regular season opener against Southern Utah at Mountain American Stadium. Rashada became just the second true freshman to start a season opener for the Sun Devils at quarterback.
The first wasn't that long ago. It was a guy with the same first name and wearing the same No. 5 as Jayden Daniels who got the nod in the 2019 season opener against Kent State in the same venue. The latest ASU phenom had some stellar moments, although most of those came in the first half of a game ASU won 24-21.
A haboob hit the stadium toward the end of the first half. That turned into a rainstorm and lightning delay that lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes before the game finally resumed.
Rashada, a four-star prospect out of Pittsburg, California, completed 18 for 31 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. It was the third-best outing for a quarterback making his ASU debut. The best was a 292-yard effort by Joey Yellen against USC in the ninth game of 2019, a contest in which he was subbing for an injured Daniels.
The second-best outing was Daniels' debut in 2019 against Kent State in that season opener. In that game Daniels, now in his second year as a starter at LSU, went 15-for-24 for 284 yards but was sacked five times.
Rashada looked poised and prepared from the outset, leading the team to a touchdown on the first possession. The Sun Devils marched 68 yards in five plays with Cameron Skattebo running it in from the 6. Rashada went 3-for-3 for 44 yards on the drive, the big play being a 33-yard pass completion to Melquan Stovall that took the ball down to the 12.
The Sun Devils struggled the next couple of possessions. It wasn't until late in the second quarter that Rashada and the offense found a rhythm again. He had a 47-yard strike to Xavier Guillory that made it 14-7 and on the next possession added a 3-yard toss to Troy Omiere with two seconds left in the half.
Neither Rashada nor his teammates got back into a good offensive flow when play resumed. He was just 6-for-15 for 54 yards in the second half on a wet field with steady rain.
Rashada took the ups and downs in stride and looks to improve on his first outing which occurred on his 20th birthday.
“Definitely a big blessing, we got a lot of things that we got to go back and fix this week. I honestly just look forward to going and getting better moving on to next week and we got the win and hopefully we got it next week. Got to improve on this week,” he said.
They said it: What Kenny Dillingham, players said about ASU's home opener
Despite the unspectacular second half, coach Kenny Dillingham was pleased with his quarterback's showing and the poise he showed.
“I thought he did really well. Poise, collected, no turnovers. He hitched up and ran a few times. There were some pictures where the guys matched off, some different looks. Obviously, Week 1’s for freshman quarterbacks are even harder. You can think you know the looks you’re going to receive, but they have an entire offseason to put in new looks. He knew our looks and our plan, but when you’re seeing different looks on defense as a freshman quarterback, it’s really hard to grasp, “Whoa that’s what I’m seeing and that’s what this is” when it’s the first time out there. I thought he did a phenomenal job. He came out in the second half, and he just couldn’t get in a rhythm. His eyes were right. He was throwing the ball where it was supposed to be, I have no question about Jaden and his ability. He was getting the ball where it was supposed to be, but he just wasn’t in a rhythm. I got to do a better job, and we have to do a better job on offense getting him back in a rhythm. That’s our number-one job, getting the quarterback in a rhythm. After a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay, we have to get him back in a rhythm better. So, that’s on me,” he said.
Teammates appreciated the effort too.
“That’s this kid’s first college start," defensive back Jordan Clark said. "He works his ass off, he won his first football game. Under insane circumstances, we sat in the locker room for two hours. I think he deserves credit for finishing the football game how he did, staying poised under those circumstances.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU quarterback Jaden Rashada looks strong in weather-impacted debut
